BASIC 5 FOOD GROUPS

Hello and welcome back to my blog foodoneed.blogspot.com - Food Is Medicine.Today we will read about the 5 important food groups which we add in pur daily diet.

More information on the Five Food Groups:

1. Fruit.
2. Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high cereal fibre varieties.
3. Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds and legumes/beans.
4. Milk, yoghurt cheese and/or alternatives, mostly reduced fat.
5. Vegetables and legumes/beans.

Fruits:

Choose fruits from these different fruit categories:

Apple, orange, banana, pear and grapes.
Pome fruits such as apples and pears
Citrus fruit such as oranges, mandarins and grapefruit
Stone fruit such as apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines and plums
Tropical fruit such as bananas, paw paw, mangoes, pineapple and melons
berries
Other fruits such as grapes and passionfruit.

Grains:

The main sub-groups are:

Breads - Wholemeal, wholegrain, white, rye, pita, lavash, naan, focaccia, crispbreads, damper
Breakfast Cereals - Ready to eat, high fibre (wholegrain) oats, porridge, muesli, wholewheat biscuits
Grains - Rice, barley, corn, polenta, buckwheat, spelt, millet, sorghum, triticale, rye, quinoa, semolina
Other products - Pasta, noodles, English muffin, crumpet, rice cakes, couscous, bulgur, popcorn, flour.

Meat, Poultry, Legumes & Nuts:

Foods from this food group fall into 6 categories. Examples include:
Lean meats - Beef, lamb, veal, pork, kangaroo, lean (lower salt) sausages
Poultry - Chicken, turkey, duck, emu, goose, bush birds
Fish and seafood - Fish, prawns, crab, lobster, mussels, oysters, scallops, clams
Eggs - Chicken eggs, duck eggs
Nuts and seeds - Almonds, pine nuts, walnut, macadamia, hazelnut, cashew, peanut, nut spreads, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, brazil nuts
Legumes/beans - All beans, lentils, chickpeas, split peas, tofu.

Milk Products & Milk:

Examples of milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or alternatives include:
Milks - All reduced fat or full cream milks, plain and flavoured, long life milks, powdered milk, evaporated milk, soy beverages (fortified with at least 100mg calcium/100mL)
Yoghurt - All yoghurts including reduced fat or full cream, plain and flavoured, soy yoghurt (calcium fortified)
Cheese - All hard cheeses, reduced or full fat for example cheddar, red Leicester, Gloucester, Edam, Gouda Soy cheeses (calcium fortified).

Vegetables & Legumes:

Vegetables can be broken up into different groups, with each group providing their own unique nutrients. The main sub-groups for vegetables are:
An image of a selection of vegetables to illustrate foods from this food group. 
Dark green or cruciferous/brassica
Broccoli, brussels sprouts, bok choy, cabbages, cauliflower, kale
Lettuce, silverbeet, spinach, snow peas
Root/tubular/bulb vegetables
Potato, cassava, sweet potato, taro, carrots, beetroot, onions, shallots, garlic, bamboo shoots, swede, turnip
Legumes/beans
Red kidney beans, soybeans, lima beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas, lentils, split peas, tofu
Other vegetables
Tomato, celery, sprouts, zucchini, squash, avocado, capsicum, eggplant, mushrooms, cucumber, okra, pumpkin, green peas, green beans


Will be back with more information as I always say "Food Is Medicine".

Thank you :)
Foodoneed.blogspot.com

GREEN LEAFY VEGES = BACK ON TRACK

Dear Readers,

Hi. Hope you are eating fine and doing great!! :)

The month 'May' is the season of holidays and we always tend to eat and feel home.

In this blog I want to make you understand the importance of eating green vegetables and how you can help yourself to come back on track with good veges.

Leafy vegetables are ideal for weight management as they are typically low in calories.

They are useful in reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease since they are low in fat, high in dietary fiber, and rich in folic acid, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium, as well as containing a host of phytochemicals, such as lutein, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene. 







Study shows that an increment of one daily serving of green leafy vegetables, lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease by 11 percent.

Because of their high magnesium content and low glycemic index, green leafy vegetables are also valuable for persons with type 2 diabetes. An increase of 1 serving/day of green leafy vegetables was associated with a 9 percent lower risk of diabetes. 

The high level of vitamin K in greens makes them important for the production of osteocalcin, a protein essential for bone health. The risk of hip fracture in middle-aged women was decreased 45% for one or more servings/day of green, leafy vegetables compared to fewer servings.


Green vegetables are also a major source of iron and calcium for any diet. 
Green leafy vegetables are rich in beta-carotene, which can also be converted into vitamin A, and also improve immune function. Millions of children around the world have an increased risk of blindness, and other illnesses because of inadequate dietary vitamin A from green leafy vegetables.

Lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids found in dark-green leafy vegetables, are concentrated in the eye lens and macular region of the retina, and play a protective role in the eye. They protect against both cataract and age-related macular degeneration, the major cause of blindness in the elderly. 

Some studies suggest that lutein and zeaxanthin may help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, such as breast and lung cancer, and may contribute to the prevention of heart disease and stroke.Green veggies contain a variety of carotenoids, flavonoids and other powerful antioxidants that have cancer-protective properties. 

It was reported that eating 3 or more servings a week of green leafy vegetables significantly reduced the risk of stomach cancer, the fourth most frequent cancer in the world. Cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and broccoli are rich in indoles and isothiocyanates, which protect us against colon and other cancers. Broccoli sprouts have been reported to contain 10 or more times as much sulforaphane, a cancer-protective substance, than does mature broccoli. A higher consumption of green leafy vegetables has been shown to significantly decrease the risk of breast cancer and skin cancer.

Green, leafy vegetables provide a great variety of colors from the bluish-green of kale to the bright kelly green of spinach. Leafy greens run the whole gamut of flavors, from sweet to bitter, from peppery to earthy. Young plants generally have small, tender leaves and a mild flavor. Many mature plants have tougher leaves and stronger flavors. 

Collards, Swiss chard, bok choy, and spinach provide a mild flavor while arugula, mizuna and mustard greens provide a peppery flavor. Bok choy is best known for use in stir-fries, since it remains crisp, even when cooked to a tender stage. One should always choose crisp leaves with a fresh vibrant green color. Yellowing is a sign of age and indicates that the greens may have an off flavor. Salad greens provide a whole range of important nutrients and phytochemicals to keep us healthy.

 Hope this blog is helpful for you and for your loved ones. Thank you and see you soon with my next blog. Take good care of urself :)

Food - On - Need